Black Forrest Torte - Kirsch - Clear or Colored?

My wife and I made a 4-layer Black Forrest Torte about a week ago.

The times we made it before that, I used the clear "Kirschwasser", and found that it was a bit on the "strong" side (used leftovers to clean paintbrushes, etc.)

Last week, I used some high-quality Kirsch (sp?) that was brownish-red in color, and had more cherry flavor & less alcohol.

Anybody out there have the "definitive" answer?

Ron,

All Kirschwasser I have seen has been clear in color. Are you sure you had Kirschwasser and not a cherry brandy?

Ray

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">All Kirschwasser I have seen has been clear in color. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
True. It has to be or it is not Kirschwasser. It is not sweet but it is a fruit brandy, an eau-de-vie.

I did a bit more research, but didn't find anything definitive:

The stuff I used last time was dark brown-red, and is labeled as "Kirsch Liquor". It is 40 proof (not as strong as Kirschwasser) and comes from the Black Forrest in Germany. It is not labeled as Kirsch Schnapps either. Probably not the "technically correct" stuff, but it did give a nice, mellow cherry taste to the cake & icing.

(Plus, it's good if you throw a shot or two of it in a Diet Pepsi )